Notre Dame men's basketball: Irish look inside for strong start

December 29, 2009|By TOM NOIE Tribune Staff Writer

Symptoms synonymous with the college basketball season surface this time each year. Hearts beat faster. Feet move quicker. Focus is finer. Wins bring temporary relief while losses cut deeper. Every aspect of every day requires more attention to detail than what was offered the previous two months. The end of the calendar year brings the start of conference play. Non-league slates are needed and necessary, but Notre Dame (11-2) knows that 2009-10 will be considered a success or a struggle based on what unfolds in the Big East over the coming weeks and months. “No offense to other (non-conference) teams, but this is when it starts to get fun,” said power forward Luke Harangody, on track to become the leading scorer and rebounder in league history. “You look forward to this. Every game is going to be exciting. “You don't have to look to see who's next on the schedule.” First up for Notre Dame is a home game Wednesday (9 p.m., WMYS) against Providence (8-4), a team long on athleticism but short on an interior presence. It's a squad that scores points in bunches, but gives them up in bushels. Irish forward Ty Nash knew nothing about the Friars prior to Monday's film session. Once Nash heard that they have been carved up by other teams for points in the paint this season, he was ready to run right then and there. Providence allowed Alabama to get into its gut for 40 points. Yale went for 48. George Washington scored 50. Boston College, which has nowhere near the inside presence as Notre Dame, finished with 64. “I salivate when I hear numbers like that,” said the 6-foot-8 Nash, starting his first season of league play as a consistent low-post presence. “If you see that they're light on the front line, you have to take advantage of that.” That means plenty of touches for Harangody and Nash to start offensive sets. It also means staying in character offensively for the Irish, who can work a bit differently this league season. Notre Dame's interior effectiveness is not solely dictated by its bigs. Guard Ben Hansbrough prefers to probe the lane and finish. Tim Abromaitis wears out a path along the baseline looking for gaps. And guard Tory Jackson can be a runaway bowling ball if given room. The more guys who get into the paint means the more easy scoring chances - and potential trips to the free throw line - surface. That has helped shift the Irish identity away from the perimeter and more toward an aggressive outfit. “It's something we want to continue to do,” Irish coach Mike Brey said. “That's who we've been. That's really helped us.” What hurt Notre Dame in non-league losses to Northwestern and Loyola Marymount was something that will come back time and time and time again through league play - defense. There have been days when Brey has been encouraged by the effort on that end, when stops come two and three at a time. There also have been days when he's been discouraged, when nobody seems able to guard anyone. For the Irish to do something significant through March, they know they cannot be so efficient on one end, so inefficient on the other. “Can you get down in a stance and get your chest on guys and keep it to one-and-done?” wondered Brey. “That's the world we're in now.” It's also a world where many guys can just take the Irish off the dribble and get to the basket. As much as the Friars have struggled to stop teams, there is enough firepower in guards Sharaud Curry and Brian McKenize, swingman Marshon Brooks and forwards Bilal Dixon and Jamine Peterson - all starters no taller than 6-foot-8 - to bust out if allowed. The Irish have been around the Big East block enough to know that if the defensive effort isn't there for 40 minutes, the margin for error is minimal, no matter how many lay-ups or dunks they get. “You can't take any plays off, otherwise you're going to get beat,” Hansbrough said. “It's got to be every possession. “We've just got to get more effort defensively, just try and lock cats up and rebound and defend.”